U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Contacts

EPA Region I

| Congress Street

Boston, MA 02114-2023

pa.gowregionO |

Beckwith, WOS

Coordinator (617-918-1544)
James Sappier, Indian
Coordinator (617-918-1672)

EPA Region 2

290 Broadway

Coordinator (2|2-637-3807)
Christine Yost, Indian
Coordinator (212-637-3564)

EPA Region 3

1650 Arch Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029

wy

De

¢ Hakows

Coordinator (

pa.gov/region03
i, WOS
215-814-5726)

There are no federally recognized
tribes located in Region 3.

EPA Region 4

61 Forsyth Street SW

Atlanta, GA 30303-3104

www.cpa.gov/region04

Fritz Wagener, WOS
Coordinator (404-562-9267)

Mark Robertson, Indian
Coordinator (404-562-9639)

EPA Region 5

77 West Jackson Boulevard

Chicago, IL 60604-3507

www.epa.gov/regionS

Dayid Pfeifer, WOS Coordinator
(312-353-9024)

Casey Ambutas, Jndian
Coordinator (312-353-1394)

EPA Region 6

1445 Ross Avenue

Dallas, TX 75202-2733

www.epa.gow/region06

Russell Nelson, WOS
Coordinator (214-663-6646)

Eve Boss, /ndian Coordinator
(214-665-2118)

EPA Region 7

901 N. Sth Street

Kansas City, KS 66101-2907

www.epa.gov/region07

Pat Costello, WQS Coordinator
(913-551-7939)

Wolfgang Brandner, Indian
Coordinator (913-551-7381)

EPA Region 8

999 18th Street, Suite 500

Denver, CO 80202-2466

www,epa.gov/regionO’

William Wuerthele, WOS
Coordinator (303-3) 2-6943)

Sadie Hoskie, /ndian
Coordinator (303-312-6343)

EPA Region 9

75 Hawthorne Street

San Francisco, CA 94105-3901

www.epa.gov/region09

Gary Wolinsky, WOS
Coordinator (415-744-1978)

Clancy Tenley, Jndian
Coordinator (415-972-3785)

EPA Region 10

1200 Sixth Avenue

Seattle, WA 98101-1128

www.cpa, gov/region 10

Marcia Lagerloef. WOS
Coordinator (206-553-0176)

Sandra Johnson, Jndian
Coordinator (206-553-6220)

U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency

Office of Water

Standards and Health Protection
Division (4305)

Water Quality Standards Branch

Ariel Rios ing

1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20460

202-566-0400

www.e

a.g0v/ost

EPA Regional Offices and States in EPA’s Regions

Region 1
Connecticut
Maine
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Vermont

Region 3
Delaware
District of Columbia
Maryland
Pennsylvania
Virginia
West Virginia

Region 7.
lowa,
Kansas.
Mik ;
Nebraska

Region 5
Minois
Indiana
Michigan
Mirinesota
Ohio
Wisconsin

Region 9

Arizona

California

Hawaii

Nevada

American Samoa

Guam

Commonwealth o;
the Northern
Mariana Islands

Region 8
Colorado
Montana
North Dakota
South Dakota
Utah
Wyoming

Region 2
New Jersey
New York
Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands

Region 4
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee

Region 6
Arkansas
Louisiana
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Texas

Region 10
Alaska
Idaho
Oregon
Washington



Water Quality Standards offer solutions to real
environmental problems on reservations — some
examples:

The Problem: High levels of nutrients from agricultural
activities caused undesirable plant growth and limited fish pro-
duction.

The WQS Solution: The tribe adopted a numeric limit

for phosphorus. This resulted in reduced discharges from agri-

cultural activities.

The Problem: High levels of ammonia being discharged
by a sewage treatment plant that caused elevated ammonia
concentrations in reservation waters which reduced fish

populations.

The Was Solution: The tribe adopted numeric limits

for ammoniz

This resulted in the sewage treatment plant alter
ing its treatment processes to reduce the amount of ammonia

being discharged.

The Problem: Fish populations were reduced even though

numeric limits on pollutants were being met.

The Was Solution: The wi

to describe th

dopted biological criteria

red conditions of the fish community and
other aquatic life. This gave them the regulatory basis for

improving the fish populations.



Office of Water (4305-T)
EPA-823-B-02-002
www.epa.gov
June 2002

Clean Water Act goal:

“...vestore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological
" integrity of the surface waters of the United States.”

United States

Environmental Protection Agency |
HH] Ariel Rios Building 7
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20460


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What are Water Quality Standards?

Water quality standards (WQS) are the foundation of the nation’s surface water quality protection program.
WQS are a tool for protecting and improving water quality. WQS define the use of the waterbody as well as the
amount of pollutants that may be discharged into waters from sources such as industrial facilities, wastewater
treatment plants, and storm sewers. WQS help reduce pollution from rural and urban areas, WQS comprise
three components:

® The designated use (description of the goal for the waterbody,
such as fishing, swimming, cultural, or traditional)

® Water quality criteria (limits on pollutants and conditions
that will protect the designated use)

® An antidegradation policy governing changes in water quality.

Water quality standards are adopted for all surface waters of the United States, including rivers, streams,
intermittent streams, lakes, natural ponds, wetlands, and marine waters such as estuaries and near-shore coastal
waters.

Indian Tribes Can Administer the Water Quality
Standards Program on Tribal Land

With the water quality standards program, an approved Indian tribe can set the water quality goals for all surface water
(e.g., Streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands) on the reservation. The tribe will also determine whether activities which
require a federal license or permit are consistent with the tribe's water quality standards.

Setting Water Quality Standards — An Example

During the development of its WQS, a tribe decides, after holding public hearings,
that it wants a waterbody on the reservation to be suitable for the protection and
propagation of warmwater aquatic life (¢.g., sunfish, bass, and crayfish), This
becomes the designated use. The tribe adopts numeric criteria or narrative
descriptions (water quality criteria) of various pollutants like toxic
chemicals, and limits for water quality parameters, such as dissolved
oxygen. Keeping pollutant concentrations below the criteria levels will
ensure that the designated use is protected. The tribe must also protect
water quality that is better than the minimum levels (antidegradation policy).

How Authorization Under the Clean Water Act
Benefits Indian Tribes

® Under Section 401, if a requested license or permit within the reservation results in a discharge adversely
affecting water quality, an eligible tribe may certify whether the requested license or permit satisfies the tribe's
water quality standards.

® Tribes establish water quality goals for reservation waters to protect water resources.

® Tribes designate uses of waterbodies which may include cultural or traditional purposes.

Terms in this folder are defined in the e 1d glossary.
Grapt ¢ laken from Clip Art © 1990-97, RT Computer Graphics, Inc,, NM.
Front and back photos are of Blackfoot [ndian Reservation Lunds neur Browning, Montana.



QUESTIONS ABOUT PROGRAM
AUTHORIZATION:

What does a tribe need to start
the Water Quality Standards (WQS)
process for our reservation lands?
Before a tribe may adopt standards consistent with the
Clean Water Act, it must receive authorization to
administer the WQS Program.

What is program authorization?

EPA uses four criteria to determine the eligibility of a

tribe to administer the WQS program. These are:

@ The tribe must be federally recognized;

# The tribe must have a governing body that carries
out substantial governmental duties and powers;

@ The tribe must have authority to administer the
program for reservation waters, and

# The tribe must be capable of administering an
effective WQS program.

Upon receiving authorization, the tribe can submit its

WQS for approval to EPA, You can submit both appli-

cations for program authorization and tribal adopted

WOQS at the same time.

How does a tribe apply for the
WQS program?

There is not a standard application to apply for pro-
gram authorization. An Indian tribe submits documen-
tation to show: that it meets the four criteria above.
Documentation should include copies of tribal laws or
regulations and other supporting information. The
appropriate EPA Regional Administrator (addresses
are listed in this folder) reviews the information.

How will EPA evaluate a tribe's appli-

cation for program authorization?
EPA will notify other governmental entities (states,
tribes, and other federal agencies located contiguous to
the reservation) that the tribe’s application is under
review and provide them with an opportunity to com-
ment within 30 days, on the tribe’s regulatory authority
to administer the program.

How long can EPA take to review
the application?

There is no specific timeframe for review because a
decision is not made until a complete application is
submitted and EPA has had an opportunity to review
comments submitted by relevant governmental enti-
tics. EPA’s processing of an application must be time-
ly. The applicant tribe will be promptly notified when
the EPA Regional Administrator makes a decision on
the tribe’s application.

QUESTIONS ABOUT WATER QUALITY
STANDARDS:

Must an Indian tribe administer
the WQS program?

No. It’s up to the tribe. And the tribe can make that
decision at any time.

When can a tribe start developing
its WQS?

An Indian tribe may begin developing its WQS at any
time, taking into account the unique characteristics of
the waterbodies within the reservation. A tribe may
submit its WQS to EPA at the same time it applies to
administer the WQS program, or it can wait until EPA
has approved its application for program authoriza-
tion, EPA cannot approve a tribe’s WQS submission
until it has authorized the tribe’s program.

Who does a tribe contact to get
started?

Applications to administer the WQS program may be
sent (© the appropriate EPA Regional Contact listed in
this folder (either the WQS Coordinator or the Indian
Coordinator). EPA will work with the tribe throughout
the application process. During the development of its
WQS. we hope the tribe will frequently consult with the
appropriate EPA WQS Coordinator (names and phone
numbers are contained in this folder). Dialogue between
the tribe and EPA is an essential part of the WQS devel-
opment process. After the tribal WQS are adopted by
the Tribal Council (or its equivalent), the tribe submits
those WQS to EPA for review and approval or disap-
proval. EPA’s Standards and Health Protection Division,
Water Quality Standards Branch can also provide more
information (see the contact page for the address and
phone number).

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